Simply Healthy Cooking

Asparagus Soup
Created recipe on 01/12 /2010

About 2 to 3 cups of asparagus ends, chopped and the white part of the bottom of the asparagus cut off because it tends to be very woody
About 1 cup of asparagus spears chopped
2 teaspoons of fresh thyme minced well
1 to 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
3 leeks white and green part washed and chopped in half moons
½ cup chopped onion
3 cloves of garlic minced
3 cups of chicken broth (I used Pacific Ocean because it was what I had in the refrigerator – you can use vegetable broth to make the recipe all vegetarian. I just wanted to use up the open box of broth)
1 cup of water
4 ounces of Neufchatel Cheese (this is less fat than cream cheese)
2% Fage Greek Yogurt

In a soup pot, sauté the chopped leeks on medium high heat until semi-soft about 5 minutes and then add the chopped asparagus ends to the leeks and sauté for about 5 more minutes. Add the onion, garlic and sauté for 1 minute. Add the broth and water and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat on the stove and simmer the asparagus mixture for about 20 to 30 minutes. Add the Neufchatel Cheese and blend all the ingredients in a blender or a hand held blender till all ingredients are smooth and blended into the stock. Add the thyme and cook for another 2 – 3 minutes till hot. Ladle the soup into a bowl and dollop with Greek 2% Fage yogurt.

Eat Healthy!

Learning Tip

Do not throw away vegetables that have a bad appearance like brown spots and broken pieces. You can wash them and put them in a zip lock bag and freeze it for future recipes. If you plan on making a vegetable soup right away, these bad looking vegetables can serve as the base for the soup. Coarsely chop up the vegetables and sauté in olive oil to start the flavoring process and add different ingredients such as broth, spices to build-up your soup.

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Filed under: Simply Healthy Recipes, Soup and Stew Recipes, Vegeterian Recipes | Tagged: Asparagus |